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The Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League was a Canadian Junior "A" ice hockey league in British Columbia.
Contents
- Peace Junior B Hockey League 19xx–1975
- Peace-Cariboo Junior Hockey League 1975–1991
- Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League 1991–1999
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The Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League was a Canadian Junior "A" ice hockey league in British Columbia.
In 1975, the Quesnel Millionaires and Prince George Spruce Kings joined the Peace Junior B Hockey League. The PJBHL already included the Fort St. John Huskies, Dawson Creek Canucks, and Grande Prairie North Stars. Previously, Fort St. John won the Cyclone Taylor Cup as British Columbia Jr. B Champions in 1969 as a member of the Peace Jr. B League. With the expansion, the PJBHL became the Peace-Cariboo Junior Hockey League. The first championship of the new PCJHL was won by Prince George, but Quesnel won the league and the Cyclone Taylor Cup as BC Champions in 1977, 1978, and 1979 and the Grande Prairie North Stars won the Russ Barnes Trophy and Alberta champions in 1976.
In 1980 the PCJHL became a Junior "A" League, one season after the British Columbia Junior Hockey League-Pacific Coast Junior Hockey League merger. The league's most successful team, by far, was the Prince George Spruce Kings. Every season, their playoff champion earned the right to play for the Mowat Cup, the British Columbia Junior "A" Title. The PCJHL/RMJHL was eligible for the Royal Bank Cup, the Junior "A" National Title.
In 1991, the Peace Cariboo league doubled in size when it took in a portion of the Jr. B Kootenay International Junior Hockey League and renamed itself the Rocky Mountain league. The original teams to the North would form the Peace-Cariboo Division, while the newer teams to the South would form the Kootenay Division.
In 1995, the Trail Smoke Eaters walked away from the league and joined the British Columbia Hockey League. In 1996, the league was reduced to the Kootenay Division members, when the entire Peace-Cariboo Division lost all its members: Prince George Spruce Kings and Quesnel Millionaires jumped to the BCHL, the Grande Prairie Chiefs jumped to the Alberta Junior Hockey League, the Williams Lake Mustangs went defunct, and the Fort St. John Huskies jumped to Hockey Alberta's North West Junior Hockey League.
To fill the void left when the Peace-Cariboo Division folded in 1996, the Castlegar Rebels joined the fold. In 1998, however, the Rebels would return to the KIJHL and the Cranbrook Colts would fold to make way for the Western Hockey League's Kootenay Ice. [1] Left with 4 teams, the 4 teams of the RMJHL (Creston Valley Thunder, Kimberley Dynamiters, Nelson Leafs, and Fernie Ghostriders) played an interlocking schedule with the America West Hockey League of USA Hockey. On February 12, 1999, the commissioner of the RMJHL, Bronco Horvath, presented a letter to the management of the British Columbia Hockey League proposing the four remaining teams join the BCHL as a "Kootenay Division". [1] The proposal was universally rejected by the BCHL. [1] After the 1998–99 season, Creston took a one-year hiatus which forced the RMJHL to fold. Nelson jumped to the KIJHL. Kimberley and Fernie outright joined the AWHL for the 1999–00 season and Kimberley left for the KIJHL in 2001, while Fernie moved to the North American Hockey League in 2003 before joining the KIJHL in 2004. Creston returned to hockey after one year off in 2000 with the KIJHL.
The Mowat Cup is the championship trophy of Junior A hockey in British Columbia. For 19 years, starting in 1981, the champion of the RMJHL was forced to square off against the champion of the British Columbia Hockey League for the right to face the Alberta Junior Hockey League champion in the Doyle Cup. In the end, the BCHL had a virtually spotless record against the RMJHL, winning all 19 Mowat Cups and compiling a record 48 wins and 1 loss in that time frame. In fact, until the 1999 Mowat Cup (the final year of the RMJHL's existence), no BCHL champion had ever lost a playoff game against a RMJHL champion. In the 1999 Mowat Cup, the Kimberley Dynamiters were able to snap the losing streak against the BCHL's Vernon Vipers before losing the series.
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From its founding until 1991, the league's champion was awarded the PCJHL Trophy. From 1992 until 1996, the league's champion was awarded the Citizen Cup. From 1997 until 1999, the league's champion was awarded the Subway/Eddie Mountain Trophy.
The British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) is an independent Canadian Junior ice hockey league with 22 teams in British Columbia and Alberta. It was classified as a Junior 'A' league within the Hockey Canada framework until it became independent in 2023. Since becoming independent, the league characterizes itself simply as a Junior ice hockey league.
The Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) is a Junior A Tier 2 ice hockey league in British Columbia, Canada sanctioned by Hockey Canada. The winner of the Teck Cup competes with the champions of the Pacific Junior Hockey League (PJHL) and the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League(VIJHL) for the Cyclone Taylor Cup, the British Columbia Provincial Title.
The Prince George Spruce Kings are a junior "A" ice hockey team based in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Mainland Division of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). They play their home games at Kopar Memorial Arena, which has a capacity of 2,112. The Spruce Kings won their first Fred Page Cup in the 2018/2019 BCHL Season. The Spruce Kings had a playoff record of 16-1, sweeping the last 3 playoff rounds, including the championship series.
The Trail Smoke Eaters are a junior A ice hockey team from Trail, British Columbia, Canada. They are a part of the British Columbia Hockey League.
The Grande Prairie Storm is a junior A ice hockey team in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) based in Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada, with home games at Bonnetts Energy Centre.
The Quesnel Millionaires were a junior "A" ice hockey team based in Quesnel, British Columbia, Canada. They were members of the Interior Conference of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). They played their home games at Quesnel Twin Arena. The ownership group accepted an offer from the Chiefs Development group to move them to Chilliwack to play in Prospera Centre as of 2011 which was vacated after the Chilliwack Bruins were sold and moved to Victoria, BC. They are now known as the Chilliwack Chiefs.
The Vernon Vipers are a junior "A" ice hockey team based in Vernon, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Interior Conference of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). They play their home games at Kal Tire Place.
The Mowat Cup is emblematic of the Junior "A" ice hockey Championship of British Columbia (BC). The winner of the Mowat Cup historically moved on to play the winner of Alberta's Carling O'Keefe Cup for the Doyle Cup, signifying the Canadian Pacific Regions champion.
The Fernie Ghostriders are a junior 'A' ice hockey team based in Fernie, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Eddie Mountain Division of the Kootenay Conference of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL). The Ghostriders play their home games at the Fernie Memorial Arena in Fernie, British Columbia. Barb Anderson is the team's president; Ty Valin is the general manager and coach. They are currently captained by Taylor Haggerty.
The Kimberley Dynamiters are a Junior "A" Ice Hockey team based in Kimberley, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Eddie Mountain Division of the Kootenay Conference of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL). They play their home games at Kimberley Civic Centre.
The Golden Rockets are a junior 'A' ice hockey team based in Golden, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Eddie Mountain Division of the Kootenay Conference of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL). The Rockets play their home games at Golden Arena, nicknamed the "Plywood Palace". Marko Shehovac is the team's President, Chuck Wight is the General Manager and Coach. The 2022-23 team captain was Jordan Lario.
The Pacific Junior A Hockey League (PJHL) was a Canadian Junior "A" ice hockey league operating within the Greater Vancouver metropolitan area in British Columbia from 1971 until 1979.
The Princeton Posse are a junior "B" ice hockey team based in Princeton, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Bill Ohlhausen Division of the Okanagan/Shuswap Conference of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL). They play their home games at Princeton & District Multipurpose Arena.
The Cranbrook Colts were a Junior "B" and a Junior "A" team in Cranbrook, British Columbia. They were formed in 1970 as a Junior "B" team in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. They were immediately successful, winning the league title in their first four years. The Colts jumped to the Junior "A" Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League in 1991, winning three league titles in their seven years in the league.
Dynamiters or Kimberley Dynamiters may refer to:
The Creston Valley Thunder Cats are a junior 'A' ice hockey team based in Creston, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Eddie Mountain Division of the Kootenay Conference of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL). The Thunder Cats play their home games at Johnny Bucyk Arena. Kelly Everett is the team's president, Bill Rotheisler is the general manager and coach.
The Williams Lake Mustangs was a Junior ice hockey team from Williams Lake, British Columbia, Canada. They were members of the Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League.
The Fort St. John Huskies are a Canadian Junior "B" Ice Hockey team based in Fort St. John, British Columbia, Canada. They are former members of the Peace-Cariboo Jr. B, Jr. A, and Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League and current members of the Jr. B North West Junior Hockey League of Hockey Alberta.
The Chilliwack Chiefs are a junior hockey team based in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Coastal Conference of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). They play their home games at the Chilliwack Coliseum which was vacated after the Chilliwack Bruins of the Western Hockey League (WHL) were sold and moved to Victoria, where they became known as the Victoria Royals.
The Creston Clippers were a junior 'B' ice hockey team based in Creston, British Columbia, Canada. They were members of the Eastern Division of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL).